A means of generating a high brightness light source using light emitting diodes in a light recycling cavity has been shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,869,206, 6,960,872, and 7,040,774. However, to effectively couple these light sources into optical systems typically requires a means of collecting the light emitting from the light recycling cavity and collimating it to an angle within the acceptance angle of an external optical system.
In the prior art, optical tapers or tunnels are used to provide this collimation of the light exiting the light recycling cavity. These optical tunnels are appended onto the output of the light recycling cavity.
It would be desirable to have a simplified means like a foldable light recycling cavity method to form an integrated optical taper and light recycling cavity. In the prior art, optical tunnels had to be carefully aligned and positioned and somehow attached to the output of the light source or light recycling cavity.
It would be desirable to have a method wherein the light recycling cavity and the optical taper are the same element. This would eliminate subsequent fabrication, alignment and assembly issues in forming a completed high volume manufacturable assembly.